Artful arrangement

Our casual place setting shows simple can be beautiful. Its personality started with a cleverly folded "pocket" napkin. Then we added artfully arranged silverware, a $2 place mat, layered dishes and a frame of grapevine twigs -- all on a table runner cut from bargain burlap.

Arctic inspiration

A frozen environment inspired this serene tabletop in organic colors of gray and winter white. To set the scene, fill a simple centerpiece bowl with rocks and faux snow, and then add some bare branches. Free-form plates paired with frosty glasses and flatware continue the icy theme. Reinforce the idea of a winter landscape with a place mat and accent plates in bark and tree branch motifs. A notched birch branch holds a place card. The prowling polar bear (found in the toy section of a crafts store) feels right at home in this habitat.

Stocking stuffer

Tuck silverware into small stockings to create festive place settings. Any small purchased or handmade stockings will work. If you want to make your own, draw a 7-inch-tall stocking shape and cut stockings out of scrap fabric. Glue or sew the sides together and, if you have extra time, cross-stitch a design on the front.

Make it clearly Christmas

Santa baby

This setting looks like the jolly old fellow created it himself. A classic red-and-green color scheme highlights white accent dishware molded in St. Nick’s likeness (similar pieces are easy to find around the holidays).

Make place cards by gluing black-and-white copies of family members’ baby photos onto red craft paper and decorating with paper Santa hats and pom-poms. Prop them on candy cane tripods made by hot-gluing three canes together. White napkins fold up to act as cuffs on Santa’s red gloves, which hold crinkled ribbonlike silverware and crisp red napkins. Candies and bottle brush trees complete the playful look.

Let it snow

A blizzard of snowflakes enhances this tableau. Use assorted-size paper, plastic or felt snowflakes as coasters or place mats. Or toss them across the table. Add “snowballs” to the mix with different-size pom-poms. Frosted white ornaments and pom-poms fill a bowl for a super simple centerpiece. Hot-glue a name card to a pom-pom attached to a snowflake base as a place card. The polka-dot plate and flatware inspired the falling snow motif (made with self-adhesive dots) on the water glass. The red-and-white-only color scheme keeps things fresh.

Colorful name card holders: Wrapping paper scraps can make merry place card holders. Glue paper to both sides of a 3x5-inch piece of card stock. Fold in half, leaving a 1/2 inch lip to fold up as the card holder. For extra cheer, write names in holiday colors, or "give" guests names from classic Christmas tales and let them pick their seats.

Tiny tree table

Out-of-the-ordinary vessels will make tiny evergreens stand out.

Here, foot-high yews, with root balls nestled in moss, look fresh lined up in a galvanized tray. Anchor with white and purple eggplants for an all-natural look. Use eggcups with tiny juniper sprigs to create "trees" at place settings; fill the cup bases with spice berries and pinecones. Linen napkins wrapped with green ribbon complete the organic look.

Instant decoration

Thread bells on ribbon and scatter a few tree ornaments for an instant table decoration. A sprig of aromatic rosemary adds a touch of green to folded napkin pockets. Shown on plate: Turkey Breast a la Porketta, a pork roast invented by Italian and Portuguese immigrants in Iron Country.

Golden touch

Create an elegant look with gold-rimmed plates and flatware. Small gifts wrapped in bright red paper are a fun way to start your gathering. Display a special message to each guest with a decorated card on a stand.

Dress up chairs

Add to the appeal of your holiday table by dressing up chair backs. Here, we draped the chair with a yard of soft white fabric tied in a square knot, added a purchased twig wreath, and held it all together with a fat red ribbon and glued nametag.

Red-and-white all over

Centerpieces of red-and-white carnations set the tone for this table. Complete the setting with clear glass jars filled with mints, peppermints scattered on the table, red-and-white ornaments and more.

Initial it

Calming colors

For the cool blue walls and white hutch, we used chartreuse and dropped traditional reds in favor of white, brown and soft purple. The tabletop holds a long hedge of hydrangeas, white amaryllis, purple statice, mixed evergreens, fresh pears and white-tipped pinecones, all tucked into moistened floral foam placed on a low tray. The hedge in the hutch uses statice with a line of hydrangeas and white-tipped pinecones at the base.